Time-indicating device.



'W.. BRYCE.

TIME INDIGATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 191's.

Patented Jan, 13, 1914.

amino STATES ATN onr on.

WILLIAM BRYCE, 0F BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO EDWARD It. JOHNSON AND i CLARK L. BRAUCHER, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

TIME-INDICATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914..

Application filed May,26, 1913. Serial No. 769,923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BRYCE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Bristol, in the cou nty of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Indicating Devices, of, which the following is a full, clear, and exact de scripti 11, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a time indicator for measuring off seconds and minutes which can be instantly stopped and started, and in which the minute and second hands can be at once reset to zero at the same time that the resetting movement rewinds the clock movement, whereby the time indicating device shall always be ready for use.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a device for use in connection with long distance telephoning, and the special object is to provide a simple, cheap and efiective construction adapted for use by subscribers to determine the exact time consumed in the long distance conversation and in which any interruptions may be deducted from the lapsed time by the ability of the subscriber to stop and start the movement as desired, without resetting the hands to zero.

In the'drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved device, with the back casing removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, showing the tablet plate for holding the clock movement and with the casing for the movement in place. Fig. 4 is a plan of the dial plate, showing the minute and second hands and the time subdivisions, Fig. 5 is a detail of the clock movement, showing the starting,

- stopping, resetting and rewinding devices.

For the convenience of the subscriber, the

- time indicating device is preferably. mounted in the lower portion of a tablet plate 1, with the indicating dial 2 exposed through a circular opening in the tablet plate 1. It will be understood that this tablet plate is arranged to be supported on the desk near the telephone instrument, or-it'can be attached in any convenient way to the telephone support, but as my present invention relates only to the time indicating device, I

imoment the balance wheel is released.

have not thought it necessary to show the means for supporting the tablet plate;

The time movement comprises an ordinary watch train, suitably mounted between a top and a bottom plate 3, 4. This movement comprises the main stem 5, with the main spring 6 mounted thereon, and with the usual train of gears 7, 8 and 9, and pinions 10, 11 and 12, to obtain the proper movement, forthe second hand 13 and the minute hand 14, the parts all'being mounted on the usual arbors. The arbor of the pinion 12 carries the escapement wheel 15,

which is engaged by the pallets 16 on the pallet lever 17 which is connected with the balance wheel 18. the arbor 19 of which carries the hair spring 20. The usual regulating lever 21, with its end 22 projecting through the slot 23 in the back'of the movement casing 24, is also provided.

Secured on the spindle 25 are a pair of spring arms 26, 27, and this spindle is rocked by the lever 28, which projects laterally through a slot in the watch casing. The

inner end of the arm 26 is arranged to contact with a knurled disk 29 on the balance Wheel spindle, and the other arm 27 is arranged to engage the teeth 30 on the periphery of the balance wheel. A spring 31 engages a flattened portion of the spindle 25, to hold it in its locking position.

The two arms 26 and 27 are so disposed that when the lever 28 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, the arm 27 will engage the balance Wheel and stop the movement there of. When the lever 28 is moved into the dotted position shown in Fig. 5, the balance wheel is released, and as it is released the inner end of the arm 26 contacts with the disk 29 and starts the movement of the balance wheel, so that there is no liability of the watch movement continuing inactive the Mounted on the main spindle 5 is a bell crank lever, one arm 32 of which projects through a slot in the side wall of the casing, and the other arm 33 is adapted to engage a stud 34 on the gear 7. As it is never intended that the watch movement shall run continuously more than fifteen minutes, as arranged in the present construction, the gear 7 is merely a segment gear. The bell crank lever with its arms 32, 33, serves as the resetting lever to turn back the hands to zero, and it will be evident that as this lever actuates the gear 7, the main spring 6 on the spindle 5 will be rewound, so as always to maintain the watch movement in wound-up condition. i

The dial plate 2 is provided with graduations for the second hand, divided into sixty intervals of five seconds each, and there is also provided an inner circle of fifteen graduations 36 for each minute interval, one to fifteen, for the minute hand 14.

In using the time indicator, as soon as the long distance connection is made and the conversation commences, the subscriber shifts the lever 28, starting the watch movement. Should any break in the conversation occur for which the time is to be deducted, the subscriber simply shifts back the lever 28, which stops the running of the movement until the balance wheel is again released by the reshifting of the lever 28.

During the interval, the movement has ceased to operate, and thus the actual time spent will be given,

The tablet on which the time indicator is mounted aifords a convenient means for noting the parties and the time of the conversation. As soon as the conversation is completed, the subscriber resets the hands to zero by operating the lever 32, and by this same movement the watch movement is rewound.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a time indicating device, the comsion, one arm to stop the movement of the balance wheel and the other to actuate the balance wheel to start the same when released by the stop arm.

2. ,In a time indicating device, the combination with a dial provided with aseries of concentric graduat ons and pointers to indicate seconds and minutes, of a watch train to rotate the pointers, a spindle with lever for rocking the same, said spindle carrying spring arms projecting radially in different directions from the spindle and adapted to contact with the balance wheel of the watch train in succession, one arm to stop the movement of the balance wheel and the other to actuate the balance wheel to start the same when released by the stop arm.

. WILLIAM BRYQE. Witnesses;

E. BRADSHAW BRYCE. E. I. BRADSHAW. 

